FEATURE: IPA Day – Favourite IPAs of Ottawa Brewers

Happy IPA Day! Today is the day where beer drinkers around the world raise their glass to one of the most iconic styles of beer –India Pale Ale. While there aren't any #IPAday themed events happening in Ottawa there are plenty of pubs selling IPAs that were brewed close to home.

To celebrate, we asked brewers in the Ottawa-area which IPA is their favourite and why:

Andrew Bartle: Great question. My favourite IPA has to be Bell's Two Hearted
Ale brewed in Kalamazoo, MI. It was the first IPA that really made me
say "Wow" and generally still does to this day. I'm a huge fan of IPA's
that use Centennial hops as they are so full of citrus, all of that
grapefruit and loads of pine. I love that aroma especially when balanced
with a beer with a lot of body. Even really bitter beers need a little
balance.

For Canadian IPA's I have a soft
spot for Amsterdam's Boneshaker. This is another fantastic beer with a
lot of body, but the hops are so powerful. I generally find Amarillo
hops to be more floral than some other American varieties but, they
really have this aroma and flavour of really juicy tangerines. There are
a lot of complex malts in there but, it doesn't taste complicated. It
really has what I look for in a great IPA. It's aroma is powerful: It's
floral, citrusy, I can sense there is a malt backbone. There has to be
mouthfeel and body to the beer. The flavour has to be juicy like biting
into tangerines, grapefruits, and oranges. IPA's can be extremely bitter
and still really drinkable.

Matthew O'Hara: I agree with Bartle in regards to Bell's. A true classic.

I
also think Le Castor from Rigaud is currently doing a bang-up job with
theirs; emphasizing zesty citrus ( grapefruit) aroma over sheer hop
bitterness.

I also like Heady Topper from Alchemist in
Waterbury, Vt. This double IPA is a beast that sips beautifully at 8%
ABV and 120 IBU. Here again, the balance is key whereby the bitterness
is checked by malt and fruity esters. The aroma that exhibits typical
but noteworthy depth of American hop varieties is front and centre.

Josh Larocque: I would have to say that it's the Double Overhead IPA from Maui Brewing
Co. (although, technically it's a double IPA!) At first sip I loved it,
but thought it might have been the vacation sun influencing my
tastebuds when I tried it at their brew pub in Maui. I bought a growler
and very carefully packed it – taking up about 25% of my luggage space!
Once back at the brewery I cracked it open for the guys to try and it
was received fairly well, although being a double IPA it was a bit much
for them to handle. Over the span of the next week, I drank it
regularly in 4oz sample glass servings and enjoyed each serving like it
was the first.

Description from RateBeer.com:
"Double Overhead IPA is a fresh handcrafted double IPA featuring copious
amounts of hops. Laden with hops from begining to end and not overly
bitter, it's hop aromas and flavours give hints of Guava, Passion Fruit,
and orange spice which blend well with the silky malt flavours. 'Big
braddah to the Big Swell IPA' 60+IBU'S"

The flavour description nails it perfectly (I love that style of hop
flavour, similar to what we go for in our Wildcard Ale.) What I liked
best about it though, was that silky malt mouthfeel which I found to
balance the drying hop bitterness nicely.

Patrick Fiori: My favorite IPA is Church Key's West Coast IPA. It is a beautiful
balance between a crisp citrus hop and a full body with just the right
amount of sweetness. It is a bit of an anomaly I usually enjoy british
IPA's like ours more.

Don Harms: I would have to say, that is was the Wuchak Polaris, that we made in
mid-Spring. Because we made a one variety hop IPA, and we worked with
both the hop farmer and hop company in Germany. It turned out to be a
very pleasing, balanced IPA while still exciting the hopheads!!

So aside from growing up in the Muskokas, drinking a Mad Tom is like an angry guy named Tom filling a malt sack with tropical fruit and hop flowers, smashing you in the face with it, then gently sprinkling you with citrus blossoms. In a good way. But in all seriousness, we love it for its punchy hops without being unpalatably astringent, and its rich malty backbone to balance it out. Deliciously aromatic and clean as a whistle.

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